Matthew Cooper’s take:
I’ll make two things clear. First, in certain cases the most helpful thing a reviewer can do is to make his opinions on a band’s prior work as clear as his thoughts on the album in question. While I have a healthy respect for Opiate and Undertow, I find Ænima and Lateralus to be utterly pants-crappingly fantastic music. Some fans have complained the band has gotten too long winded, too artsy, and too experimental. Keep spiraling out, I say. I’d rate Ænima a 6/6 and Lateralus a 7/6. Bias claimed. Know your source, people. Secondly, coincidentally I was recently discussing album reviews with a guy who claimed that not only are reviews (and especially print reviews) becoming irrelevant in the age of near unlimited access, but that reviews are almost never worth much anyway because they’re written after very limited experience with an album. Reviews are only actually useful, he argued, when the reviewer has the intimate familiarity with an album that comes after extended listening and the passage of time. I didn’t agree (or fully disagree) of course; I think good reviewers listen to albums enough to provide ample description and an overall recommendation to either explore or avoid the album. Tool is among the group that exists as the exception that proves the rule. First impressions of Tool are worth very little. Coming to know, and finally establishing a final opinion of a Tool album just seems to take a little longer than usual. And that’s just a face value “knowing”. The mouth watering intricacies and idiosyncrasies come later. And then some more after that. I have no doubt that six months down the road I’ll look back at this review and cringe, because then I’ll have a better understanding and different relationship with 10,000 Days. So what you get now is the “so far” of it. And my so far view is still changing with every spin.
My first impression (you know, the one that’s not worth much) was not good. Not good at all. I found little on 10,000 Days that measured up to the band’s earth shaking, third eye prying last two albums. But I kept listening. And things changed. Keep listening and things become clearer. Listen how much? Enough to bury the lingering specter of expectation. Based on my expectations alone, 10,000 Days is not the album I wanted to hear. Lateralus II would have been just fine. But Tool doesn’t make the same album twice, and this time is no different. Good things started to happen after I returned to 10,000 Days for a second round of spins. Namely, I quit ruminating about the album this wasn’t and started to enjoy the album that it is. The album opening duo “Vicarious” and “Jambi” are a formidable, predominantly heavy pair that are easy to jump right into, but what really sank its claws into me first was a portion of the nearly eighteen minute title track, which has been split into two songs. “Wings for Marie (Pt 1)” and “10,000 Days (Wings Pt 2)” initially felt unassuming, overlong and without pay-off, but subsequent listens have revealed its true nature as an incredibly subtle, intricate, highly personal epic. The song is about the recent death and ascension to heaven of Maynard’s mother (who suffered a stroke and partial paralysis 27 years before her death), and this achingly moving and beautiful song has the delicate, introspective nature that the subject matter would suggest. The song weaves, twirls and builds tension in painstaking slowness and glorious anticipation, but rather than peaking and exploding into the expected snarling outburst, reaches a massive emotional climax juxtaposed by a musical anti-climax with Maynard singing “Ten thousand days in the fire is long enough, you’re going home”. It’s absolutely chilling. And even when the band does eventually shift into the song’s lone “heavy” (it sounds so silly to describe it that way given context) section, they maintain a more restrained and respectful element. This is a gorgeous and true jaw-dropping epic. The introspective, personal, and even spiritual vibe is a theme that continues to crop up again, along with a passive (or at least puzzled) observation of the declination of society. “Lipan Conjuring”, one the patented Tool interludes (three are offered this time around), consists of spiritual sounding Native American chanting, while “Right in Two” describes the angels watching from the sidelines in shock and wonder as mankind uses its freewill to destroy itself (taking what is one, and enough, and dividing it right in two). “Vicarious” is an indictment of vampire-like mainlined media exposure to sensationalized death and tragedy. There’s even the story of a “chosen one”/high school dropout who wanders into an ER during the interlude track “Lost Keys (Blame Hoffman)”, then on the subsequent “Rosetta Stoned” tells his story. While in the throws of a bad acid trip thinks he’s been abducted by aliens who have given him a warning about the end of man, but to his dismay he’s too fucked up to write it down to relay the message to mankind.
The vocals on 10,000 Days are frequently slightly less prominent than usual and occasionally use atypical approaches. Maynard’s megaphone, machine gun, LSD rantings at the beginning of the twisted and fantastic “Rosetta Stoned” are a prime example. The a cappella intro of “The Pot” is grating initially, but suits the song, and Maynard soon after resumes a more usual approach. The bass heavy track is a “who the hell are you to tell me” track reminiscent of “Hooker with a Penis”. Once you become more familiar with the album it feels like a natural and logical step for Tool, and unless you’re of the opinion that the band needlessly stretches things out these days, you’ll find yourself up to your neck in everything you love about Tool. Some of the ideas and presentation are different, but the language of it remains the same. The back breaking syncopated riffing, odd time signatures, obscenely talented and unique drumming, complex and winding compositions, and a spectacularly talented voice continue to combine to deliver mind-bendingly satisfying and addictive heavy music of the highest quality. With all the talk of “Meshuggah influence”, I expected more aggressive and explicitly heavy tracks. Given the marathon “Wings” duo and the serene “Intension”, as well as interludes and quieter portions of other tracks (especially “Right in Two”), a large portion of 10,000 Days’ 76 minutes consists of quieter and slower material. Just don’t mistake that for a lack of intensity. There are moments along the way that conjure allusions to earlier times—the sound and role of “Intension” bears a similarity to “Disposition”, the familiar nature of “The Pot” has already been discussed, and “Vicarious” and “Jambi” could be a blend of the last two albums. Other glimpses emerge and disappear. But overall, 10,000 Days is different enough to raise an initial clamor of disappointment, familiar enough to be a long-craved comfort, and powerful enough to transcend both of those things to become something all its own. Fantastic.
Chris Chellis’ take:
Bottom Line: Though marginal, masturbatory passages abound, 10,000 Days stays afloat with refined aggressiveness, crunchier, tighter songs like lead single “Vicarious” and justifiably developed and exploratory songs like “Rosetta Stoned.”
Never having been significantly persuaded by the powers that be to give Tool a chance, I am ignorant to the band’s back catalogue and this was indeed my first experience with both the much maligned and much celebrated band. I specifically remember a group of kids shitting their pants over Aenima when it was released. Of course, I had just made it to middle school and all I ever listened to were Sabbath and the Pumpkins, so I didn’t bother joining in the prog worship. After having listened to 10,000 Days, I wish I had, because, compositionally speaking, Tool obviously spends a ridiculous amount of time constructing its songs and, at the very least, it makes for an unequaled and interesting listen.
To my novice ears, some rhythmic patterns on 10,000 Days sound like modern Meshuggah-lite buried between a developed alt rock aesthetic and bone-snapping aggressiveness. As pretentious as the very idea of a band like Tool can be merely by the suggestion of description, it works. Rather than existing in three different parts, the Meshuggah-lite, alt rock aesthetic, and bone-snapping, aggressive elements gel, resulting in a challenging, but ultimately rewarding listen. And then there’s a “song” like “Lipan Conjuring,” whose aim is to create atmosphere but falls slightly flat in its endeavor and will only encourage naysayers who argue that most of this is soundtrack filler. Eh, why worry when it’s under a minute long, right?
Spatially aware of its own meandering nature and affinity for lengthier passages, Tool fills 10,000 Days with enough aggressiveness to justify the demanding theatrics. While the latter seems to dominate a few tracks here and there, the aggressiveness shines through and carries the better parts of the album, which is both to the group’s benefit and disadvantage. The two parter, “Wings for Marie (Part 1)” and “10,000 Days (Wings Part 2),” limps along like the crushed, dispirited balls of any eighth-grader who has ever known the pain of organized dodgeball. There are those that will argue that this is a vital element of Tool’s aesthetic, but there’s nothing wrong with doing some trimming here and there. If Tool had trimmed the “Wings” twofer down to seven minutes total by taking only the two more aggressive minutes attached to the end of the first part of the twofer and capturing the essence of “Wings Part 2” within five minutes, the album wouldn’t suffer like it does in arriving at its center.
About halfway through the album my mind really starts to wander and I am practically begging the guys to pick things up, which they eventually do with “Lost Keys,” a track that loses itself, pleasurably so I assure you, in minimalism and atmosphere. Because of its minimalist nature, “Lost Keys” serves as a stark contrast from the rest of the album. If the song had relied purely on theatrics with the atmospheric tone, I would probably say it was as limp as the title track twofer. However, in the same way that Pelican can rely on a few riffs playing over background noise and drone, Tool successfully milks the composition for what it’s worth.
Things return to excellence with “Rosetta Stoned.” Intense feedback greets the listener almost immediately, followed by strange vocal effects that see Maynard sharing some sort of muted monologue. The track basks in its own atmospheric splendor, playing with a fairly simple but nonetheless aggressive riff in the meantime. The guitar work comes front and center halfway through and a greater sense of development is achieved. The kind of development that seemed forced up until now becomes a more natural progression here. This is a superb track and certainly one of the album’s more noteworthy.
“Intension” is filler, and when one reaches this point on the album, one really begins to realize that Tool plays too intense a game of back and forth on 10,000 Days. Only slightly more aggressive and less atmospheric than the preceding track, “Right in Two” picks up the pace but it takes four minutes to truly accomplish that feat with tribal beats leading into a pretty cool, quite rhythmic riff. The last track on the album, “Virginti Tres,” is more or less on par with Strapping Young Lad’s “Info Dump” in terms of worth; it’s pretentious and completely unnecessary atmospheric tripe. The album is long enough. Why bury yourself like this?
The inevitable conclusion? You’re not going to hear another album quite like this one in 2006, and if you’re adventurous enough in taste, you are going to love this album. Most will not be able to rest on that alone. Ultimately though, I think the majority will be able to ignore the filler and successfully cut this album in half, or a third, to arrive at an aggressive and complete listening experience. Whether that’s worth $11.99 to your or not is really up to your sensibilities and your willingness to spend that kind of money on an album that could use some serious cutting.
Dave Pirtle’s take:
What’s it been – 2 A Perfect Circle and 1 Pygmy Love Circus album since Tool released Lateralus? I guess they got everything else out of their system, because it’s business as usual here on 10,000 Days.
Like most teens in the 90s, I was hooked on Tool from the moment that unforgettable “Sober” bassline hit my ears, and Undertow quickly became part of my growing CD collection. Then the band rose from obscurity to the heights of, dare I say, superstardom. AEnima soon came along with much fanfare, which I again acquired almost immediately, though I admit it didn’t get as much listening as their previous album. A number of years later was the aforementioned Lateralus, which I may have spun twice since I got it. What happened? Did they start to suck? Some say yes. Had I outgrown them? Well, my tastes had definitely started to shift to more extreme sounds, just as Tool had started to shift towards the avantgarde. Sure, they could still deliver the heavy crunchers, but their albums began to be filled with prog-influenced filler that often stretched on far longer than I cared to listen, to the point where the news of this new Tool album was met with indifference bordering on disdain. The whole world loved Tool and I just wasn’t into them anymore.
I can’t honestly say that 10,000 Days has changed that. I said “business as usual” because, you guessed it, this sounds just like a Tool album. A heavy opener in “Vicarious”, the avantgarde one-two punch of “Wings for Maria” and “10,000 Days”, and the mere filler of “Lipan Conjuring” and “Viginti Tres” (which, by the way, was an odd choice to close the album). This isn’t to say the album is boring – well, not entirely anyway. “Rosetta Stoned” is an amazing 11 minutes that keeps your attention. “Jambi” and “The Pot” are vintage Tool, and “Right In Two” shows them in top form, bringing all of their elements together as one. In the end, there’s just a bit too much filler for me, though. Maybe I’ll make my own special edition that cuts it all out.
I’m going to keep the bottom line real simple. If you like Tool, and have always liked Tool, you’ll like this. If you’ve become skeptical like me, this won’t bring you back around, although I’m sure you’ll enjoy rocking out to the singles on the radio.
